Railway roadbed and track construction



Dec. 11, 1928.

E. R. EDSON RAILWAY ROAQBED AND TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed April 30, 1928 A TTORNE Y Patented Dec. 11, 1928 MNETED STATES ELMER BOCKWOOD EDSON, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

RAILUAY BOADBED AND TEASE CONfiTBUCTION.

Application filed. April 30, 1928. Serial No. 273.966.

My present application relates to my United States Patent Number 1,612,271, issued December 28, 1926. It further relates to my patent applications allowed by the United States Patent Oliice on March 9, 1928, but not yet issued, filed concurrently under date of April 18, 1927, upon a switching device, Serial Number 184,685, and upon a railway switch, Number 184,687. it also relates to my pending application in the U. S. Patent Otiice upon railway roadbed and track construction, filed April 18, 1927, Serial Number 181,686, and to a pond ing application upon a railway cross-over, Serial Number 240,164, filed December 15, 1927. Furthermore, it relates to my applica tion for patent upon safety railway trucks, Serial Number 269,133, filed April 11th, 1928.

The primary object of this invention (like that of the applications just referred to) consists in the prevention of derailment of rail way vehicles, especially when trains are operated at super-speeds. Your petitioner realizes the fact that the advent of the airplane has marked a new era in the evolution of transportation. The time required for transit from place to place has been very ma terially reduced by the introduction of travel thru the air. The result is that our railways are already feeling the financial loss due to the fact that mail is being carried by air planes in continually increasing amounts, It seems probable that airplanes will soon malt similar serious inroads upon the passenger business of the railways, unless their vehicles for transportation are speeded up. Y our petitioner believes that this will be done very soon, because the speeds of our railway trains can easily be greatly increased, and the sole factor which remains to be considcred is that of preventing' derailment at these higher speeds. Consequently, a remodeling of our railway lines seems probable. It appears that our railroads will soon be compelled to modify their trucks and their tracks as well, in order to meet the requirements of safe high-speed transportation. It is with this in mind that the present application is submitted, in an endeavor to visualize some of the changes which appear to be impending, and to make the execution of those changes as easy as possible. I refer now particularly to the rails, and desire to promote a form of roadbed and track construction which will fully meet the requirements for securing safety at high speeds, and which will also prevent a relegation to the scrap-heap of the enormous amount of railsteel which has already been manufactured and laid down in tracks forming a network over a very large portion of our earths surface.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of one type of my invention, showing the main-rails mounted on longitudinal flanged girders which are supported by cross-ties.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of a specially flanged girder and main rail, with the truckwheel mounted on the rail, and with the safety-wheel in position under the wide flange on the head of the girder.

Figures 3, 4-, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 are also cross-sections of a girder with a main rail mounted thereon, illustrating different methods of providing a tread for the safety-wheel.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of still another method of providing a tread for the safety-wheel.

Similar reference symbols indicate similar parts in all the drawings.

The following is a more detailed description of the drawings and parts shown therein In Figure 1,the main rails 6 are seen mounted upon longitudinal girders 1 which are composed of a flanged base 1, a web 3, ahead 16 and an extended outer flange 5, this flange being given sufficient strength to serve as a horizontal tread for a safety-wheel operating along its under surface. The main rails 6 are secured to the girder-heads 16 by the bolts (or rivets) 8, or by other suitable fastening means. The girders are secured in proper spaced parallel relationship by cross-beams 9 which are provided with flanges 10, being secured to the webs 3 of the girders by the bolts (or rivets) 11 or other suitable fastening means. The girders 1 rest upon crossties 7, being secured thereto by suitable fastoning means. l Vhile I have shown the gird ers 1 in Figure 1 as resting upon cross-ties 7, it is realized that a better form of support for the girders would be obtained by using a concrete foundation under each girder, the two longitudinal ridges of concrete being con nected by cross-beams of reinforced concrete placed at suitable intervals. This would form a smooth, heavy foundation to which the girders could be anchored by suitable means, so that if the safety-wheel on one side of a truck tended to rise, it would have to lift the main rail, the girder, and also the concrete foundation as well, which would be practically impossible.

In Figure 2, the rail 6 and girder 1 are shown in vertical cross-section. The truckwheel 12 is mounted upon the rail 6. The wide outer flange 5 on the girder-head 16 provides a tread for the safety-wheel 15 which is mounted upon a stub-shaft 1% carried by a bracket 13 attached to the truck.

In Figure 3, the only essential feature requiring description is the angled tread-member 18 which is secured (in the position shown) by bolts (or rivets) 8 and 19, or by other suitable fastening means, to the girder 1. By providing this special tread for the safety-wheel 15, the flange 5 on the girder is prevented from wearing. The angled treadmember 18 can readily be replaced if necessary.

In Figure 4, a girder of the usual type is shown at 2, the flanges on the girder-head 17 being approximately equal in width. The tread 2O for the safety-wheel 15 is obtained by fastening a flat metal tread-member 20 between the base of the rail 6 and the girderhead 17, said tread-member extending outwards sufficiently to provide the tread 20 for the safety-wheel 15 In Figure 5, a slightly different form of tread-member 21 is shown. In this case, a rib 22 extends longitudinally on the under surface of the tread-member 21, the rib 22 being placed in coaptation with the edge of the outer flange on the girder-head 17, serving as a means of preventing displacement. Ihe tread for the safety-wheel 15 shows at 21 Figure 6 shows a girder 1 with a wide outer flange 5 on the girder-head 16, a rail 23 for the safety-wheel 15 being suitably mounted on the under surface of the flange 5.

Figure 7 illustrates a form of construction only slightly different from that shown in Figure 5. In this case, the tread-member 2 1 is provided with two longitudinal ribs 25 on its under surface, said ribs embracing the edges of the girder-head 17.

In Figure 8, I have shown a form of construction similar to that of Figure 3, the only change being that hooks 26 have been formed along the outer margin of the angled treadmember 27 in order to embrace the edge of the wide flange 5 and obtain better support thereby. If desired, a continuous hooked edge may be formed along the outer margin of the treadmember 27.

In Figure 9, the tread-member 28 is suitably secured between the rail 6 and girderhead 17, said tread-member 28 being provided with a continuous (or interrupted) hooked rib 29 on its under surface, said hooked rib being adapted to embrace the outer edge of the girder-head 17. The tread proper for the safetyuvheel 15 shows at 28 Figure 10 shows a form of construction lifl'ering slightly from that snown in Figure In this Cll1Wll1. X,tl1Q angled tread-member suitably secu l L t the outer surface 0 web of the ider 2 and ler the outer nge of the girder-head 17, the flange 30 rejecting beyond the edge of the girder-head 7 in order to form a suitable tread for the safety-wheel 15.

Figure 11 is slightly different from Figure 10, the only change being that a hooked rib 32 is formed on the upper surface of the angled tread-member 31, said hooked rib embracing the outer edge of the girder-head 17 in order to obtain suitable support therefrom. The tread for the safety-wheel is shown at 31 Having given this description of thesevcral parts of my invention, what I claim as novel is as follows 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a girder having a flanged base, a web portion, and a head constituting a flange extending from each side of the web, one of said last mentioned flanges having on its undersurface a tread for a safety wheel to travel along, and a T-rail mounted longitudinally on said girder head.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a road bed substructure com posed of two elongated girders secured together in spaced parallel relationship, a rail mounted upon each gird er, each girder being composed of a flanged base, a web portion, and a head consisting of a flange on each side of the web, and one of said head-flanges having on its undersurface a tread for a safety wheel to travel along.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a girder having a flanged base, an intermediate web portion, and ahead consisting of a flange projecting from each side of the web, one of the last mentioned flanges to seat an elongated tread member, a tread member angular in cross section secured to the girder and said flange, said tread member being provided upon its undersurface with a horizontal tread, and having a hook like portion adapted for engaging said last mentioned flange, and a main rail mounted upon the head of said girder.

&. In a device of the class described, the combination of a girder having a flanged base, an intermediate web portion, and a head constituted of two oppositely disposed flanges, a main rail mounted longitudinally upon the head of said girder. and a tread member secured atthe top of the girder. said tread member projecting substantially from one side of the girder and providing a tread upon its undersurface for a safety wheel to travel alon is 'th fil 5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a girder having a flanged base, an intermediate web portion, and a head constituted of two oppositely disposed flanges, a main rail mounted longitudinally upon said girder head, and a tread member secured to said girder head, said tread member being provided With an angularly formed member adapted for engaging one of the flanges of the girder head, and such tread member extending substantially from one side of said girder in order to provide a tread 011 its undersurface for the travel of a safety wheel.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a girder having a flanged base, an intermediate web portion, and a head constituted of two oppositely disposed flanges, a main rail mounted longitudinally upon the girder, a tread member secured to the head of said girder, said tread member being provided with a plurality of angularly formed members which engage the girder head, and said tread member extending substantially from the girder in order to provide a tread on its under surface for the travel of a safety wheel.

7 In a device of the class described, the

combination of a girder having a. flanged base, an intermediate web portion, and flanges at the top forming a head, a main rail mounted longitudinally upon said head,'a tread member, said tread member being provided with an angular hook-like member clasping an edge of the girder head, and such tread member extending substantially from the girder in order to provide a tread on its under surface for the travel of a safety wheel.

8. The combination of a T-rail and a girder support therefor, said girder having a member projecting outwardly from the top thereof, and said projectin member being provided with an under sur ace portion constituting a tread for the travel of a safety Wheel.

9. In railway track construction embodying two spaced parallel rails, such construc tion including said rails, girders continuous thereunder and each supporting a rail, each girder being provided upon one side with a tread member for a safety wheel, and said tread member projecting outwardly there from and presenting upon its under surface a tread for a safety wheel to travel upon.

ELMER R. EDSON. 

